LOMPICO -- The Ghost Mountain Riders' annual summer kickoff ride is now just a phantom, relegated to unofficial status after the county on Tuesday nixed an official seal of approval.

With law enforcement officials citing security concerns and the potential for a miles-long string of motorcycles threading through the Santa Cruz Mountains, the county Board of Supervisors declined to grant the permit, which until recently had been customary. The decision outraged the club's local chapter head, who vowed to ride on anyway.

The supervisors' decision is the second major event in six months to take a hit from the county. Supervisor Zach Friend asked for the permit to be discussed, and it died after no supervisor requested to either grant or deny it.

The annual ride benefits Camp Krem, a campground for disabled children in Boulder Creek. Ghost Mountain Riders stay at the campground after their ride, and can donate anywhere from a few hundred to $2,000 depending on how many people show up, Fleming said.

Chief Deputy Jim Hart said sheriff's deputies were called to the group's party at 3 a.m. last year, which is after permitted hours under the club's alcohol license. When deputies arrived, there was "posturing" by club members, according to Fleming's recollection of the police report.

One factor not discussed was a press release issued by the Sheriff's Office last week updating a homicide investigation into the death of Eric "Peeka" Garcia, a 32-year-old member of the Mongols Motorcycle Club.

Garcia was last seen at a San Jose bar in the company of Ghost Mountain Riders members, deputies said. He was reported missing in September 2012, and his body was found a month later near the Summit. Investigators say it appears to have been dumped there -- no easy feat since Garcia weighed an estimated 350 pounds.

There is another chapter of Ghost Mountain Riders in San Jose, but Fleming is still mystified why deputies included the club's name in the press release. He declined to discuss it in detail.

"I'm aghast," Fleming said.

Police denied an alcohol permit for the club's end-of-summer ride last October -- the group raises money by selling booze -- and asked the club to hire four deputies, at a cost of $2,000, to monitor this year's event.

"We've told the motorcycle club we would approve the permit if there was hired security to be on scene, and they have told us they aren't willing to pay for security to be at Camp Krem when the party takes place," Hart said.

Fleming said the price is too steep. He also disputed a law enforcement assertion that the event could draw 1,000 riders -- an estimate he says he provided to Hart on a lark.

"Typically, you get a couple hundred people out to ride," Fleming said.

Valley Churches United President Annette Marcum said the club's community service stretches back three decades, recalling how members helped get food to Lompico residents after the storms of 1982. The club has longtime ties to Valley Churches, helping with charity work such as food drives.

"There never has been a problem with them on a run, and they have done many runs for us," Marcum said.

Fleming said the California Highway Patrol has approved the April 6 ride, which goes up Highway 17, along Summit Road and Highway 35, and down Highway 9 into Boulder Creek.

"We fully intend to hold the event," Fleming said. "Not having an event permit means we can't ride as a group. There won't be a pack."